Panty type garment and method of knitting the same on a flat knitting machine

ABSTRACT

The panty type garment is knit on a full-fashioned type knitting machine which is modified to feed warp yarns to the needles to form warp knit fabric with weft knit yarn and terry loop yarn in selected portions thereof. The modification of the machine includes the addition of separate sets of front and rear yarn guides with means for imparting both swinging and shogging movements thereto.

United States Patent Fors [151 3,654,779 14 1 Apr. 11, 1972 154] PANTY TYPE GARMENT AND METHOD OF KNITTING THE SAME ON A FLAT KNI'I'IING MACHINE [72] Inventor: Juan Rovira Fors, Pinar 20, bis Canet de Mar, Barcelona, Spain [22] Filed: Apr. 13, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 27,729

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 23, 1969 Spain ..366360 [52] U.S.Cl ..66/171, 66/177 [51] Int. Cl. ..A4lb 9/02 [58] FieldofSearch ..66/82,83,84,81,91,175, 66/176, 86,177,190,191,192,193,194, 195,169, 171,128,135, 5

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 226,595 4/1880 Chase ..66/195 X 1,436,326 11/1922 Walter ..66/193 1,355,196 10/1920 Walter ..66/126X 1,581,977 4/1926 Nebel ..66/135 1,965,873 7/1934 Wildt ..66/135 1,978,409 10/1934 Carlson ..66/135 1,978,412 10/1934 Carlson.... ..66/135 2,011,267 8/1935 Carlson ..66/135 2,026,192 12/1935 Scott ..66/195 2,040,326 5/1936 Nebez ..66/91 2,899,812 8/1959 Attenborough ....66/86 X 3,208,242 9/1965 Fors ..66/177 1,796,579 3/1931 Rupr ..66/5

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 239,342 10/1911 Germany ..66/86 272,984 6/1927 Great Britain ..66/128 379,040 8/1964 Switzerland ..66/ 176 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Parrott, Bell, Seltzer, Park & Gibson [57] ABSTRACT The panty type garment is knit on a full-fashioned type knitting machine which is modified to feed warp yarns to the needles to form warp knit fabric with weft knit yarn and terry loop yarn in selected portions thereof. The modification of the machine includes the addition of separate sets of front and rear yam guides with means for imparting both swinging and shogging movements thereto.

6 Claims, 23 Drawing Figures SHEET 1 BF 6 PATENTEBAPR 1 1 I972 INVENTOR. JUAN RovnaA Foas ATTORNEYS IN VENTOR.

ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAPR 11 I972 3, 654, 779

sum 2 or 6 5) JUAN RovuzA F025 MJeZJZgQMM/M PATENTEBAPRH I972 SHEET 3 OF 6 INVENTORI JUAN lzovua/x F025 wmmmgliw 9 4/441 ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAFR 1 1 I972 SHEET [1F 6 l Hl n lllll INVENTOR: Ely-19 JUAN HZA F025 ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAPR 1 1 I972 SHEET 5 BF 6 INVENTOR. JUAN EOVHZA Peas ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAPR 1 1 I972 SHEET 5 OF 6 INVENTOR.

JUAN Rowi-EA F0 as ATTORNEYS PANTY TYPE GARMENT AND METHOD OF KNITTING THE SAME ON A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE This invention relates generally to a knit fabric and more particularly to a knit fabric and method of knitting the same on a modified full-fashioned type knitting machine. The knit fabric is particularly adapted for the formation of panty type garments which include sections knit solely of warp yarns, sections knit of warp and weft yarns, and sections knit of warp yarns, weft yarns, and terry loop yarns.

It is known to form a weft knit panty type garment blank on a full-fashioned knitting machine and to form terry loops in that medial portion of the blank which is adapted to form the crotch portion of the garment. Such a garment is disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,242 and the present invention is concerned with an improvement in the type of panty garment shown in this patent.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved full-fashioned garment which includes portions knit solely of warp knit yarn, portions which include both warp knit and weft knit yarns, and other portions which include warp knit yarn, weft knit yarn, and a terry loop weft knit yarn.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a 7 method of knitting a blank for forming this type of garment on a full-fashioned type knitting machine which has been modified to feed warp yarns to the needles and to form the base fabric of the garment from the warp knit fabric. The modification of the machine includes the addition of separate sets of front and back yarn guides with means for imparting both swinging and shogging movements thereto. The sets of yarn guides cooperate with the yarn carriers in selectively feeding the main weft knit yarn and the terry loop Weft knit yarn to the needles during the knitting of certain portions of the garment.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic view of the manner in which the warp yarns are knit to form a warp knit fabric;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic view of the manner in which the main weft yarn is knit to form a weft knit fabric;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic view of the manner in which a terry loop weft yarn is knit to form a terry loop fabric;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the combination of the warp knit fabric of FIG. 1, the weft knit fabric of FIG. 2, and the terry loop fabric of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 indicates the position of the needles, the yarn guides and the sinkers during the first phase of the loop forming cycle;

FIGS. 6 through 13 are somewhat schematic plan views illustrating the manner in which the yarn guides, sinkers and yarn carriers feed their yarns to the needles in the formation of the fabric;

FIG. 14 illustrates the needles being lowered to form the loops of the warp yarns, the main weft yarn and the terry loop weft yarn;

FIG. 15 illustrates the needles being moved to the rear or back side of the machine so that the beards are being pressed;

FIG. 16 illustrates the manner in which the needles draw the loops through the previously formed loops;

FIG. 17 shows the needles being raised upwardly after the stitch loops have been cast therefrom;

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate the movement of the yarn guides during the last phase of the knitting cycle;

FIG. 20 is a somewhat schematic vertical sectional view through the knitting instrumentalities and illustrating the mounting of the yarn guides for feeding the warp yarns to the needles;

FIG. 21 schematically illustrates the pattern control means for shogging one of the shafts supporting one set of yarn guides in a direction transversely of the needles;

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the garment blank as it is formed on the knitting machine; and

FIG. 23 is a front view of the finished garment.

The warp knit fabric (FIG. 1) is formed with sets of warp yarns 30 and 31 which form walewise extending stitch chains that are connnected together at spaced intervals or courses by laps to form an open mesh fabric. The weft knit fabric (FIG. 2) is formed of a main weft yarn 32 which extends in a coursewise direction and forms stitch loops in each wale which are connected together by coursewise extending sinker loops. The terry loop fabric (FIG. 3) is formed by forming stitch loops in every wale of a terry loop weft yarn 33, while forming elongate terry loops in the sinker wales therebetween. As illustrated in the compound of composite fabric shown in FIG. 4, all three yarns are knit in plated relationship in every stitch loop of each needle wale and the warp yarns 30 and 31 form diagonally extending laps between adjacent wales while the main weft yarn 32 forms coursewise extending connections in the sinker wales and the terry loop yarn 33 forms elongate terry loops in the sinker wales.

The first phase of the knitting process is illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 wherein the warp yarns 30 and 31 are fed through respective sets of front and rear yarn guides 34 and 35 to the needles 36 and 37. In FIGS. 6-13, the position of sinkers 40, 41 and 42 between and adjacent needles 36, 37 are also illustrated. As the yarn guides 34 and 35 swing from the front to the rear of the machine and between the needles 36 and 37, the needles are moving up and are slightly inclined toward the front of the machine, as shown in FIG. 5. As the yarn guides reach their rearrnost swinging position, illustrated in FIG. 8, the needles are raised to the upper limit of their stroke.

The yarns guides 34 and 35 are shogged or moved in opposite directions, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The yarns 30 and 31 then overlap the respective needles 37 and 36 before the guides swing again to the front of the machine. With forward swinging movement of the guides 34 and 35, the yarns 30 and 31 are wrapped about their respective needles and below the bearded hooks, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 14.

During the next phase of the knitting cycle, the yarn carrier 44 for the main weft yarn 32 and the yarn carrier 45 for the terry loop weft yarn 33 begin their transverse strokes along the hook side of the needles (FIG. 20) and at the proper heights that the yarns 32 and 33 are positioned in the throats of the sinkers, in a manner to be presently described. As shown in FIG. 13, the yarn guides 34, 35 return to the starting position to complete the closing of the underlap. The sinkers are moved inwardly between the needles (FIG. 14) so that the laps of the warp yarns 30, 31 and the main weft yarn 32 are moved forwardly by the lower throat 47 while the terry loop weft yarn 33 is moved forwardly a greater distance by the upper throat 48 of the sinker.

As the needles are lowered, as shown in FIG. 15, the yarns 32, 33 and 30, 31 are caught in the hooks of the bearded needles as they move toward the back of the machine and their beards engage the presser bar 50. The needles then move forwardly and downwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 16, and the sinkers are moved to the back of the machine so that the laps slide over the nose of the sinker and the yarns are drawn down through the last row of loops to form new loops, the fabric being supported on the knock-over bits 51. The needles then are raised to begin another knitting cycle, as shown in FIG. 17.

The swing of the front and rear yarn guides 34, 35 (FIG. 20) is obtained by fixing the back yarn guides 35 on the lower end of an arm 52 which is fixed on its upper end on a shaft 53. The shaft 53 is oscillated by means of interconnected levers 54, 55 and 56. The lever 56 is pivotally supported on a shaft 57 and is oscillated by means of a cam, not shown, which is fixed on the main cam shaft of the machine, not shown. When the enlarged portion of the cam engages the lower end of the lever 56, it moves in a counterclockwise direction, so that a swinging motion is imparted to the back yarn guides 35 in a counterclockwise direction or from the front to the rear of the needles in the machine. As the radius of the cam decreases, the lever 56 moves in a clockwise direction and the back yarn guides 35 swing from the back to the front of the machine so that the yarn guides pass between the needles.

.62 engages the cam lever 61 and is attached to the lower end of a lever 63 which is fixed at its upper end on the shaft 60. Contact between the roller 62 and the cam lever 61 is maintained by a tension spring 64. When the back yarn guides 35 swing from the front to the rear of the machine and between the needles, the cam lever 61 is moved in a counterclockwise direction and the shaft 60 is also moved by rolling movement of the roller 62 and movement of the lever 63 in a counterclockwise direction so that the front yam guides 34 also move or swing from the front to the rear of the machine and between the needles, following the back yarn guides 35. As the back yarn guides 35 swing from the back to the front of the machine, the cam lever 61 moves in a clockwise direction to move the roller 62 and the lever 63 so that the shaft 60 and the front yarn guides 34 also swing from the rear to the front of the machine.

The shafts 53 and 60 are supported for longitudinal movement to impart shogging movements to the yarn guides. These shogging movements are individually controlled by separate pattern chains, only one of which is schematically illustrated at 70 in FIG. 21. The pattern chain 70 is made up of interconnected links 71 which pass around a chain cylinder 72. A slider 73 is connected at one end to the shaft 53 and its other end is provided with a roller 74 which rides on the links 71 of the pattern chain 70. By increasing the height of a link 71, a shog motion or movement of the yarn guides 35 toward the right is obtained and by decreasing the height of a link, a shog motion toward the left is obtained. Another pattern chain, not shown, is provided on the chain cylinder 72 for imparting shogging movements to the front set of yarn guides 34. In order to synchronize the shog movement and the swing movement of the yarn guides 34, 35 with the knitting movements of the needles, the chain cylinder 72 is driven by the main cam shaft 75 through a train of gears 76, 77 and 78.

As shown in FIG. 22, the garment blank is preferably formed in rectangular form and knit from one end to the other. Assuming that the garment blank is knit from top to bottom in FIG. 22, the blank generally includes three transverse zones 80, 81 and 82 and with opposite transverse end portions 83 and 84. The zones 80, 81 and 82 form the respective rear panel B, crotch Q and front panel E of the blank and garment. The end portions 83, 84 are referred to as selvage portions between adjacent garment blanks and are each knit of the warp yarns 30 and 31 and the main weft yarn 32.

The zone 80 is knit of warp yarns only and preferably in open knit stitch structure of the type known as a honeycomb pattern. The central portion of the zone 81 is knit with the warp yarns 30 and 31 and the main weft yarn 32, while the adjacent portions on opposite sides are knit of the warp yarns only. The terry loop weft yarn 33 is also knit in the central portion of the zone 81 and in a somewhat smaller area than the portion formed of both the warp yarns 30, 31 and the main warp yarn 32. The zone 82 is knit solely of the warp yarns 30 and 31 while the terminal selvage portion 84 is knit of both the warp yarns 30, 31 and the main weft yarn 32. The strokes of the carriers 44, 45 for the main weft yarn 32 and for the terry loop yarn 33 are controlled by the movable steps of a French heel attachment or Pointex, in a well-known manner, to shape the crotch C in the manner shown.

The dash-dot lines 90, 91 along opposite sides of the blank are formed by feeding weft yarns from two auxiliary carriers to form narrow stripes of weft knit fabric to provide an outline along which the garment blank may be cut out in a subsequent operation. The pattern for the auxiliary carriers forming the cut lines 90, 91 are controlled from the usual or conventional center rack or stripping attachment.

After the blank is out along the lines 90, 91, the opposite sides of the front panel 5 and rear panel 5 are sewed together to form the gannent shown in FIG. 23. If desired, an elastic band may be attached to the upper waist opening and suitable elastic bands and lace may be sewed to the leg openings.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

I claim:

1. A garment blank knit throughout of warp yarns forming interconnected chains of stitch loops, and selected sections of said garment blank including terry loop weft yam forming stitch loops knit in plated relationship with the stitch loops of the warp knit yarn and forming elongated terry loops positioned between the stitch loops.

2. A garment blank knit throughout of warp yarns forming interconnected chains of stitch loops, selected sections of said garment blank including a main weft knit yarn forming stitch loops knit in plated relationship with the stitch loops of the warp knit yarn, and selected sections of said garment blank including terry loop weft yarn forming stitch loops knit in plated relationship with the stitch loops of the warp knit yarn and the main weft knit yarn and forming elongated terry loops positioned between the stitch loops.

3. A garment blank according to claim 2 adapted to form a panty type garment and being substantially rectangular with the central portion thereof being adapted to form a crotch area in the garment and wherein the terry loop yarn is knit in said crotch area.

4. A knit under garment blank according to claim 3 wherein opposite end portions of the blank include the said weft knit yarn and said warp knit yarns and form selvage portions, and wherein said warp knit yarns and said weft knit yarns are knit together in an area surrounding the terry loop crotch portion.

5. In a panty type under garment blank according to claim 4 wherein weft knit yarns are knit with said warp knit yarns along narrow lines curving inwardly from opposite sides of the blank to form guide lines for cutting the blank in preparation for forming a panty type garment therefrom.

6. A method of knitting a garment blank on a full-fashioned knitting machine including a set of needles, sinkers disposed for movement between said needles, yarn carriers for feeding weft yarns to said needles, and sets of warp yarn guides positioned to swing between and along the sets of needles for feeding warp yarns to said needles, said method comprising the steps of a. continuously feeding the warp yarns to the needles to form a series of interconnected stitch chains and throughout the complete knitting of the gannent blank,

b. feeding a weft yarn through one of said yarn carriers and to the needles during the knitting of selected portions of the garment blank so that the weft yarn is knit in plated relationship with the warp yarn, and

c. feeding a terry loop weft yarn through another of said yarn carriers and to the needles during the knitting of certain of said selected portions of the garment blank so that the terry loop weft yarn is knit in plated relationship with the weft yarn and the warp yarns to form upstanding terry loops in said certain of said selected portions. 

1. A garment blank knit throughout of warp yarns forming interconnected chains of stitch loops, and selected sections of said garment blank including terry loop weft yarn forming stitch loops knit in plated relationship with the stitch loops of the warp knit yarn and forming elongated terry loops positioned between the stitch loops.
 2. A garment blank knit throughout of warp yarns forming interconnected chains of stitch loops, selected sections of said garment blank including a main weft knit yarn forming stitch loops knit in plated relationship with the stitch loops of the warp knit yarn, and selected sections of said garment blank including terry loop weft yarn forming stitch loops knit in plated relationship with the stitch loops of the warp knit yarn and the main weft knit yarn and forming elongated terry loops positioned between the stitch loops.
 3. A garment blank according to claim 2 adapted to form a panty type garment and being substantially rectangular with the central portion thereof being adapted to form a crotch area in the garment and wherein the terry loop yarn is knit in said crotch area.
 4. A knit under garment blank according to claim 3 wherein opposite end portions of the blank include the said weft knit yarn and said warp knit yarns and form selvage portions, and wherein said warp knit yarns and said weft knit yarns are knit together in an area surrounding the terry loop crotch portion.
 5. In a panty type under garment blank according to claim 4 wherein weft knit yarns are kniT with said warp knit yarns along narrow lines curving inwardly from opposite sides of the blank to form guide lines for cutting the blank in preparation for forming a panty type garment therefrom.
 6. A method of knitting a garment blank on a full-fashioned knitting machine including a set of needles, sinkers disposed for movement between said needles, yarn carriers for feeding weft yarns to said needles, and sets of warp yarn guides positioned to swing between and along the sets of needles for feeding warp yarns to said needles, said method comprising the steps of a. continuously feeding the warp yarns to the needles to form a series of interconnected stitch chains and throughout the complete knitting of the garment blank, b. feeding a weft yarn through one of said yarn carriers and to the needles during the knitting of selected portions of the garment blank so that the weft yarn is knit in plated relationship with the warp yarn, and c. feeding a terry loop weft yarn through another of said yarn carriers and to the needles during the knitting of certain of said selected portions of the garment blank so that the terry loop weft yarn is knit in plated relationship with the weft yarn and the warp yarns to form upstanding terry loops in said certain of said selected portions. 